SOURCES OF SELF-EFFICACY AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON SCIENCE TEACHER EDUCATION

Bandura’s reaction to the depictions of human agency that were propagated by the trait, behaviorist, and psychodynamic theories yielded the social cognitive theory. Through the social cognitive theory emerged the concept of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is one’s judgment of the capabilities to bring about desired outcomes. An understanding of the concept of self-efficacy and its sources has implications for the training of pre-service science teachers to effectively teach science. This article aims to use theoretical and empirical studies concerning Bandura’s theoretical sources of self-efficacy - Enactive Mastery Experience, Vicarious Experiences, Verbal Persuasion, and Physiological and Psychological State – to guide science teacher educators in determining effective approaches to developing a sense of self-efficacy in their pre-service science teachers. The article summarizes each of the sources of self-efficacy. It simultaneously provides suggestions to science teacher educators for inculcating a high sense of self-efficacy in their pre-service science teachers.  Article visualizations

Interpreting Shift Encoders as State Space models for Stationary Time Series

Time series analysis is a statistical technique used to analyze sequential data points collected or recorded over time. While traditional models such as autoregressive models and moving average models have performed sufficiently for time series analysis, the advent of artificial neural networks has provided models that have suggested improved performance. In this research, we provide a custom neural network; a shift encoder that can capture the intricate temporal patterns of time series data. We then compare the sparse matrix of the shift encoder to the parameters of the autoregressive model and observe the similarities. We further explore how we can replace the state matrix in a state-space model with the sparse matrix of the shift encoder

The Plight of Working Children at Mankessim, Ghana

Children serve as social assets for domestic and economic activities. It is therefore not uncommon to see children in Ghana working under the instructions of their parents. In some instances, children are engaged in economic enterprises due to household poverty. Whereas some of these activities initiate children into adulthood, others affect their school attendance and development. The paper explores some of the activities children engage in at Mankessim in the Central Region of Ghana. It justifies that some of these activities constitute labour; and discusses other factors that contribute to household poverty in the area. Data were obtained from 152 children engaged in various economic activities. Findings revealed that 69% of the children were asked by their mothers to work. Half of the children benveen 6 and 11 years and more than one-third aged 11-17 worked for over five hours a day. Sixty-six per cent complained of tiredness. In-school children missed school at least once a week to work while 10% dropped out of school due to work. improving standards of living of women and strengthening societal organizational values are crucial in addressing the plight of working children in the area.Keywords: Child work; hawking; child labour; Mfantsiman Municipality; Mankessim; Ghana

STUDENTS’ PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND DIFFERENCES IN THEIR LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES IN PUBLIC COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN THE CENTRAL-WESTERN ZONE OF GHANA

The study investigated the differences in learning style preferences of students of public Colleges of Education (CoEs) in the Central-Western Zone of Ghana based on their personal characteristics (sex, level of study and college setting), and how these personal characteristics influence the students’ choice of learning style preference. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey design. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to sample 1,396 students from five public CoEs. Frequencies with percentages, independent samples t-test, and regression and ANOVA were used to analyse the data. Generally, a combination of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning styles were preferred by the students. Statistically significant differences in the learning style preferences of the students in terms of their sex and setting of college were observed. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the students’ learning style preferences based on their level of study. Again, a statistically significant positive influence of students’ demographic variables on their learning style preferences was established even though the influence was very small. It was concluded that most of the students prefer the use of more than one learning style, and so tutors must comprehend differentiated learning of their students in order to adopt different teaching and assessment techniques to suit the learning needs of the students. It was recommended among others that tutors should encourage students to adopt multiple learning styles and effective study habits to enhance their academic endeavours

Attaining School and Educational Goals: Duties of Headteachers of Public Basic Schools in Ghana

Education forms the foundation for the development of human resource, making it critical for national development.  To ensure that children attain a minimum period of schooling, the government of Ghana has committed itself to a number of international protocols to provide basic education for all Ghanaian children.  Hence, many basic schools have been built throughout the country to increase access and participation.  These schools are administered in most cases by experienced teachers who serve as leaders.  The subject of ‘leadership’ has gained considerable attention, discussion, and extensive study by theorists and researchers in a number of disciplines.  This is so, especially in modern times when the concept has become complex as a result of globalization and technological advancement. School leaders are considered as pillars of the educational system, and also seen as the major agents in the promotion of school effectiveness.  This is clearly seen in the numerous functions that they are expected to perform daily and often simultaneously, thereby showing the crucial role of school leaders in establishing, monitoring and maintaining the quality and standards in education.  This paper examines the duties of headteachers of public basic schools in Ghana in attaining school and educational goals, and the challenge(s) they face in executing their duties.   The paper recommends among other things that headteachers need to improve on their knowledge and skills in school and financial administration through learning and experience, and they must be effectively monitored, supervised.  Again, the Capitation Grant (CG) policy should be evaluated, reviewed and revised so that its implementation could meet changing and current trends. Keywords: Educational goals, school goals, headteachers, duties, public basic schools, Capitation Grant (CG

BASIC SCHOOL TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

The school as a microcosm of the society in which it is situated is as diverse as the society. Heterogenous classrooms pose a challenge to teachers. Teachers have to work hard to overcome the challenge posed by teaching learners with diverse learning needs. Overcoming this challenge calls for teachers to be creative, dexterous, and innovative in applying differentiated instruction. The study sought to investigate basic school teachers understanding and use of differentiated instruction. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A stratified sampling technique was used to sample 95 basic school teachers, comprising 44 private school teachers and 51 public school teachers. Data was collected using Differentiated Instruction Assessment Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that teachers who participated in the study did not have a good knowledge of differentiated instruction and its application in classrooms. Most of the teachers had not attended workshops and in-service training on differentiated instruction. With respect to the use of pre-determined teaching strategies, it can be concluded that teachers do not mostly employ such strategies in their classrooms. The study recommended that teachers are trained through in-service training and workshops on differentiated instruction and its application, as well as using multiple teaching strategies in teaching learners with diverse needs.  Article visualizations

Agricultural Credit Accessibility and Rice Production in Savelugu-Nanton and Walewale Districts of Northern Ghana

As  Ghana  struggles  to  achieve  accelerated  growth  in  food  production,  increasing  the output of  rice  has  become  an  important  goal. The main aim of this study  is  to  find  out  the  determinants  of  agricultural  credit  accessibility  and  its effect on rice output. The study was conducted in  four communities  in  the  Savelugu-Nanton  District  and  two  communities  in  the Walewale District. It was aimed at ascertaining the determinants of agricultural credit accessibility and its impact on rice output. In all, a sample of 90 rice farmers was interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire as well as focus group discussions. Data was collected on the mode of operation of existing credit institutions in the districts, the socio-economic indicators of farmers believed to influence credit accessibility and the inputs and output of farmers in the 2008/2009 farming season. Out of the 90 rice farmers interviewed, only 37 received agricultural credit from Bangmarigu Community Rural Bank and MoFA.  In addition, most  of  the  farmers were  not  aware  of  the  existing  credit  institutions  while others  did  not  access  the  credit  due  to  high  interest  rate,  small  credit  size,  fear  of indebtedness and low educational status. From the survey, it became known that agricultural credit accessibility is positively influenced by group membership, farm size and gender. Specifically females had greater average of credit than males. The study revealed that, agricultural credit has a significant effect on rice output hence the need to seek for credit to increase production levels.  It is recommended that farmers are sensitized on the existence of credit institutions. Also credit institutions should institute measures to reduce interest  rate  and  also make  credit  acquisition  processes  and  repayment  plans  simple  and flexible. Key words: Credit accessibility, Determinants of credit, Cobb-douglas production function and Correlatio

Effective Leadership: The Panacea to Effective Teaching and Learning in Schools, Post Corvid -19

It is not an understatement to mention that the recent Covid-19 pandemic has thrown world economies into anarchy and turmoil. As a result, unprecedented changes had to be made by the way teaching and learning is conducted in academic institutions around the world. Almost all educational institutions worldwide have pivoted to online learning in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. This sad turn of events has put undue pressure on educators to learn 21st century technology skills to instruct successfully. This paper examines the need for innovative skilled leadership for effective transition to online teaching and improving teaching and learning. Keywords: Innovative Leadership, Online Learning, Effective Planning, Pivot, pandemic, Organizational Culture. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-33-01 Publication date: November 30th 202

A Historical Review of Diseases and Disease Prevention in Gold Coast: A Focus on Asante (1900-1957)

The history of any community cannot be written without paying attention to the issues that shaped the lives of the people. One of the pertinent issues in history has been disease infestation and how it has been prevented or cured. From the earliest time, man has faced the challenge of meeting his health needs. The constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “the state of physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.[1] This definition underlines health as an integral part of what a people need in order to realize their full potential and derive satisfaction from life. Oral traditions have shown that the people of Kumase and Asante as a whole faced the challenge of providing health care from very early times. In fact, all humans have in one way or the other shown resilience in fighting anything that has the potential of threatening their existence including diseases. [1] D. Longley, Health Care Constitutions, (London: Cavendish Publishing Ltd, 1996)